


honor bound

by Narci



Series: See the Forest, Not Just the Trees [6]
Category: Mo Dao Zu Shi, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Character Study, F/M, Gen, Lotus Pier Massacre, but it's low-key, familial ties, lots of like low-key major character death, no beta we die like JFM and YZY, so i'm not gonna use the archive warning..., wwx's temporary death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:34:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26581468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Narci/pseuds/Narci
Summary: Honor means different things for different people. For Jiang Fengmian, honor means taking in the recently orphaned son of a rogue cultivator he may or may not have been in love with. For Yu Ziyuan, honor is exerting the utmost control over what she can and never letting her family down. Sometimes, what one person considers honorable comes in direct conflict with what someone else would consider honorable.-/-character study of wwx by yzy and jfm
Relationships: Jiāng Fēngmián/Yú Zǐyuān, Wei Ying & Jiang Cheng
Series: See the Forest, Not Just the Trees [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1915600
Comments: 10
Kudos: 122





	honor bound

Cangse Sanren was always a point of contention between Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan. Rumors may not always be the truth, but they almost always hold a kernel of truth. They both know this. That’s why it’s so hard for Yu Ziyuan to listen to servants speaking of her husband’s feelings for the other female cultivator. 

However, Cangse Sanren left with Wei Changze to start a family and travel freely as a rogue cultivator. Yu Ziyuan is relieved for approximately six years while the gossip dies down.

Then, Wei Wuxian becomes an issue.

-/-

Jiang Fengmian might not be the best husband, but he tries. When servants begin to talk about a possible affair between him and Cangse Sanren, he begins to distance himself. He still cares for her, of course, but his lady is just as important. 

Then Cangse Sanren leaves with one of his most trusted friends, and Jiang Fengmian regrets not spending more time with the both of them before they disappear with zero plans to return. When he hears about his friends’ child, Wei Ying, Fengmian smiles softly to himself. Both Sanren and Changze wanted children, so hearing this makes him undeniably happy. 

But then he receives word of their deaths nearly six years later, and suddenly, Wei Ying is less of a distant thought and more of an immediate problem. According to the letter, Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren had passed more than three months ago. That means that Wei Ying has been out there for three months. By himself. At the age of five or six. 

Jiang Fengmian needs to find him as soon as possible.

-/-

Wei Ying’s arrival at Lotus Pier rekindles the flames of gossip about Sect Leader Jiang and Cangse Sanren. Some even begin to suspect Wei Ying is actually Jiang Fengmian’s son. Fengmian wants to put down these rumors, but he’s the Sect Leader. Sect Leaders do not stoop low enough to respond directly to _rumors._ Yu Ziyuan is similarly stuck. She is supposed to be strong and unaffected by the thoughts of inconsequential villagers and servants. 

The whispers continue unhindered, and rumors only grow.

-/-

Wei Ying becomes Wei Wuxian. Jiang Cheng becomes Jiang Wanyin (at least, he does formally). But the more things change, the more things stay the same. For all that Wei Wuxian does to earn the respect of his fellow disciples, that does very little to the public opinion. The rumor about his parentage doesn’t disappear, it just stops being mentioned around Young Master Wei.

Yu Ziyuan resents that Wei Wuxian can just live on in blissful ignorance. He’s the reason her son is considered second best. Everything Jiang Cheng does, Wei Wuxian does first. Does quicker. Does better. 

He’s a plague on their family. 

-/-

Jiang Fengmian is unbelievably proud of Wei Wuxian. 

He forms a golden core early. He becomes the YunmengJiang’s Head Disciple. He soars ahead of his peers. More than that though, the boy embodies the Jiang Sect’s motto. Wei Wuxian never lets the fear of failure or impossibility stop him from doing something he wants to do, and he never backs down when he knows he’s doing the right thing.

He wishes A-Cheng could understand their motto as well as A-Ying did. One day, his son will get it, A-Cheng just needs to realize that ‘attempt the impossible’ refers to more than the blunt, reckless bravery Wei Wuxian employs. A-Cheng needs to figure out that Fengmian never wanted him to be Wei Wuxian, he wants him to be Jiang Cheng. Fengmian just wants his family to be happy and successful, and Wei Wuxian makes his children happy.

-/-

In the end, they’re both right. 

Yu Ziyuan always said Wei Wuxian would bring disaster to Lotus Pier and their family. Jiang Fengmian always thought that Wei Wuxian would help his son to grow, mentally and cultivation wise.

Lotus Pier is burned (because of Wei Wuxian). The Jiang Sect is massacred (because of Wei Wuxian). Yu Ziyuan died, but if she hadn’t, she would’ve seen Jiang Yanli die as well (because of _Wei Wuxian_ ).

Jiang Cheng gets a huge boost in his cultivation soon after he thought he’d never cultivate again (Wei Wuxian did that). Jiang Cheng retrieves what’s left of his parents’ remains (Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning managed that). Jiang Cheng takes back Lotus Pier (Wei Wuxian, again). 

Wei Wuxian is honor bound to help his family. The people that always helped him. The ones that raised him. He couldn’t do anything when the Wens killed Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan. He couldn’t do anything when Jiang Cheng lost his golden core (nothing but give up his own). He couldn’t do anything when A-Jie protected him, when she _died_ for him. 

Now, though, Wei Wuxian can do something. He’ll die either way, so why not die doing something important? Why not die destroying something so powerful and evil that everyone wanted to get their hands on it? (Two things, he thinks sharply, the amulet and himself.)

Honor is different for everyone. For Yu Ziyuan, it was strength. For Jiang Fengmian, it was duty to his loved ones. 

And for Wei Wuxian, it is sacrifice.

fin.

**Author's Note:**

> another part done... i'm running out of the shorter ones, so updates may come a bit slower as i'll be writing more. anyway, i hope y'all enjoyed JFM and YZY together. originally, it was just supposed to be from JFM's perspective, but then YZY snuck herself in their... hahahah. 
> 
> tell me if y'all did or didn't like anything in specific! comments and kudos are much appreciated *bows
> 
> <33333333


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